Movement 18/20: The F585 movement is based on the venerable 1185 Piguet chronograph. I currently wear this watch with the chronograph running continuously as I like to see motion in my dials. The Piguet movement is one of a few chronographs designed to run continuously without damaging the watch. The movement is an 11 1/2 line or 25.60 mm in diameter. The total height is 5.55 mm and contains 395 individual parts. The balance is beryllium and annular. Unfortunately, Blancpain employs only a single barrel so the power reserve is 40 hours. I had an older Blancpain perpetual with 100 hours power reserve but it did not have the additional chronograph function. I have taken off a point for the short power reserve. The finish as noted by Walt Odets in the Horolgium is exceptional and refined. The gold rotor and Geneva stripes and perlage are a joy to observe. The newer Blancpain movements have plating on the rotor and adding additional bluing, which I find very distasteful. The understated elegance of pure craft does not require additional coloring. The movement is visible from the factory display back. The visible portion of the movement is quite similar to the Piguet 1185. This model is produced in a very limited series of 50 pieces. I have worn the watch in vigorous activities and it has kept excellent time for the last 6 months.

Case, Crystal, Crown 18/20: The flyback double bezeled case is becoming a classic. The combination of the case with the X-71 makes for an impenetrable fortress. The watch is waterproof to a 100 meters which is quite an accomplishment given the four extra pushers visible on the side of the case for setting the perpetual components of the watch. The crystal employs the double sided AR coating on both the front crystal and rear crystal of the watch but it is quite susceptible to surface scratching. The crown and pushers are identical to the units employed on the Flyback, which has excellent feel and is easy to operate even with a glove on. The watch weighs a hefty 229 grams due to the WG case material. The side of the case has the Blancpain stamp, which is utilized in the 2100 series line of watches.

Dial and Hands 13/15: This model has the blue dial, which is only offered on the limited models. The dial can be difficult to read at times due to the size of the font. Other limited edition Blancpain perpetuals ( not all) have the months printed every second month, which allows the font to be much larger and more visible. The hands are lance style and should have been skeletonized on such a busy dial to allow for better readability. The Flyback hands are lovely and offer excellent luminescence as does the large Arabics. The watch has 9 hands including the leap year indicator, which has a red tip on the end of the hand. The moonphase indicator is clear and easy to read at all angles. I prefer the older "man in the moon" Blancpain Moonphase disc utilized on the earlier Biver designed perpetual.

Accuracy 15/15: When worn on the wrist the watch has been running less than-2 per day. Like all watches it prefers to be wound up and have the mainspring at peak torque to keep the best time.

Bracelet 9/10: The X-71 is the finest sport bracelet currently on offer. The two-tone finish of the bracelet that utilizes a matte and polished finish is very pleasing. I have deducted one point for the lack of push deployant closing that I had on the Trilogy series, which this watch requires due to the heavier case material. The bracelet has opened inadvertently with active use. The deployant closes with the Blancpain insignias on the bottom of the bracelet.

User manual and Packaging 5/5: The supplied box is brilliantly crafted in wood and befits a watch of this pedigree. The manual is thorough and contains information on the entire Blancpain line. The watch includes a pusher for the perpetual in the alloy of construction.

Comfort 5/5: The X-71 and 2100 series case is extremely comfortable. The watch may also be worn with the rubber strap found on the Aqualung for a sportier and lighter feel (not supplied)

Value 9/10: Value is a relative term. If one compares the current offerings from some of the competitor's brands, the Blancpain offers good value compared to a Patek perpetual. It is hard to give any watch a perfect score on value, as these relatively expensive watches are many times more costly than a mass- produced ETA variant watch.

TOTAL RATING: 92 out of a possible 100. Overall I find the watch to be extremely handsome and well crafted and an absolute pleasure to wear. Highly recommended!

March 17, 2004 added the following two pictures and text:

The watch has been sent back to Blancpain in Switzerland and the dial and hands were exchanged. The new dial is called the 'US Dial' and the hands are now skeletonized. The dial has the months printed alternately and the font is much larger and more legible. The subdials extend farther out to the edge of the watch and therefore has necessitated new pointers for the Day and Date functions. I assume these new indicators are from the 42 mm Perpetual as they are not luminous. The new dial can be a little difficult to read under low light conditions.